Whether or not you need a website, and then what sort of website you develop, will depend on the nature of your own business and offerings, and the behaviour and demands of your existing and potential customers.

Building a website can be an expensive and time-consuming exercise. Websites start from a few dollars a month, while complicated corporate sites can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. A little research and self-assessment up front can save you time, money and stress. It will also ensure you make a decision that is in your best interests.

To start you need to clarify two objectives for your website:

1 Will it target existing customers (eg make their life easier), target new customers (eg attract them to you), or both?

2 Will you use the website as an active marketing tool (eg update it regularly, employ search engine marketing or direct marketing such as newsletters etc), or do you lack the time and/or confidence and will leave the site alone once it is built?

Getting clear on these two basic questions is a very good start.

Research does not have to be expensive or time-consuming; even a few surveys can offer valuable insights into customer behaviour. If you are targeting international markets, look at innovative ways of getting feedback from the target audience. This could involve emailing surveys to friends or contacts in the target market, or approaching groups in your local community that represent a certain country or region.

You can make this research as detailed as you need. For some basic indicators on target audience behaviours and attitudes, a sample of five to ten responses can be adequate. A survey of this size will not take a great deal of time. The purpose of the survey is to clarify with your own customers their needs and expectations of your website. For example, if your site is purely an information site then you need to ask what information they would like to find, how they will use this information, and what would make them visit the site again or refer it to friends.

Assessing other websites is another quick and easy way to research what you need, as the internet gives you access to companies around the world. To find other sites that may offer lessons in best practice you can get recommendations from existing customers as part of your research surveys. You can also search on major engines such as Google and Yahoo using the keywords you would use to find your own offerings. Again the level of detail depends on the time you have available. A minimum of three websites will give you some good ideas on the level of presentation, information and functionality already being delivered to your potential customers.

A final note to think about is how well prepared you are to deal with a potential increase in enquiries? Do you have the staff and/or resources to respond to online enquiries? Can your company easily increase capacity if a large order comes through? For example, if you are targeting new or foreign markets you will need to be equipped to communicate with potential new customers in a timely and efficient manner. This may mean responding to emails in a foreign language and/or having a sales representative or distributor in that market. Some companies fail to plan effectively for an increase in sales caused by having an online presence. The worst you can do is not deliver goods or services in a timely manner - this will do more harm to your reputation than not having an online presence at all.

A little web site needs assessment up front will lay the foundation for a good design and build process, will help you only buy what you need, and will ultimately help to ensure that in the end you get a website that is an effective marketing and communication tool.

For $10 you can download a practical web site planning guide that provides a survey template and structure for reviewing your own needs.  This will help you to decide what sort of web site you need and could save you from wasting time and money.  You can download your website needs assessment from our Products section.